Letters: City Hall looks 'like a daily comic strip'

Savannah’s mayor and aldermen are like a daily comic strip. Everyday, when I pick up the paper, the mayor and aldermen are headlines.

It’s one problem after another, and the problem seems to be Rochelle Small-Toney. The last problem (Sept 5) was a closed door meeting. It appears Mayor Edna Jackson is taking the blame.

I guess the reason being is Ms. Small-Toney is on probation from past problems. I think the taxpayers of this city have had enough. Let’s go back to when Ms. Small-Toney was appointed city manager. She could not be bonded for the usual $1,000,000 bond amount which was required of past city managers. She obtained a room at the Westin at taxpayer expense when she was being interviewed for the position, all the while Ms. Small-Toney was an employee and a local resident.

Tax dollars were used for an elaborate reception in her honor, including wine glasses as souvenirs. She redecorated her office to the tune of who knows what. Then, she hires Ben Johnson to be Emergency Management director. The Savannah Morning News reported that Ben Johnson had reported related discrepancies during his hiring process. Ms. Small-Toney continued to support Ben Johnson.

Here we are back to the beginning of my letter, closed-door meetings. Come on Mayor Jackson, and the council, you were elected for the betterment of this city and its people.

You are not doing the job for which you were elected. Maybe, Ms. Small-Toney’s time has come and gone for this beautiful city.

JIM ROURKE

Savannah

Obama more despicable than Eastwood’s address

This is in response to the letter calling Clint Eastwood’s address at the Republican National Convention despicable.

As of right now, our country has 48 percent of its population on some form of government assistance. Unemployment continues to be too high.

Gas costs twice as much as it did four years ago. Our national debt is at an all-time high and getting higher everyday.

Our president continues to find ways to shackle free enterprise. These are the facts of a failed administration, and they are truly despicable.

JEFF FITZPATRICK

Savannah

National debt: Too much like ticking time bomb

It’s a ticking time bomb. The U.S. government is about to announce its $16 trillion debt, a landmark number that has more than tripled during the last two presidencies.

At 104 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, the debt is now larger than the U.S. economy itself.

The federal government closed last Thursday with $15.99 trillion in debt — but some budget analysts think it most likely reached $16 trillion by the end of the day.

Each day, the debt grows by roughly $3.5 billion or about $2 million per minute. Twelve years ago, before the election of George W. Bush, the debt stood at $5.6 trillion. In the months before President Obama took office, the debt was $9.6 trillion.

During Obama’s presidency, it has increased by $6.4 trillion — two-thirds of its 2008 amount. The current president has overseen the largest debt explosion in the U.S. history. This year marks the fourth consecutive year with a $1 trillion budget shortfall.

The national debt is certainly a ticking time bomb. There is no question that if we don’t do something about it, it’s going off. We’re spending about $200 billion on interest now. That’s much more than we’re spending on operations in Afghanistan, more than we spending on Medicare.

I am listening to both Mr. Romney and President Obama address this problem.

JOE McCULLOUGH

Port Wentworth

SPLOST project signs exemplify waste

Unless there is a kind person that donated the color, wooden signs with our elected officials pictured beside the SPLOST projects, I am appalled that our elected officials would approve SPLOST funds to be wasted in this manner.

I have pictures of the signs, if needed, to drive home the message that taxpayers are tired of the waste.

Message to those employees of Chatham County pictured so nicely on the signs: Stop wasting taxpayers’ dollars! Do the job you were elected to do and stop looking for the pat on the back; that is what elections are for.

I am sure the hard-working Chatham County residents would not approve of your color pictures posted throughout the city.

I am personally bothered that my District 4 representative’s picture is posted. I photographed the signs posted at the Coffee Bluff Marina and the project beside Memorial Stadium.

SAMANTHA WOODWARD

Savannah

What ‘Mancession’?

“America’s ‘Mancession,’” a column by Adia Harvey Wingfield from Sept. 3, is a puzzling assortment of allegations.

From what I read and observe, Wingfield’s research is little more than outdated “white male” bashing. White and black females are getting more four year-college and advanced degrees than their male counterparts. They are competing effectively in the medicine, law, political and science fields.

My current school superintendent is a female that I taught in the 1980s. The majority of principals and vice principals in my school district are female. My lawyer is a female that I taught in the 1980s. Without the sudden ascension of Barack Obama, we probably would have elected a female president in 2008.

There was an “educational observation” at the rural high school where I was teaching in 1990, whereby female advocates came to illuminate the fact that girls were being ignored in history, math and science classes. They left somewhat deflated because they found no evidence supporting that contention.

Even then, research indicated that females were doing well, while both white and black males were dropping out of higher education in increasing numbers. Perhaps that is partially due to the rapidly increasing percentages of one-parent families.

But according to Wingfield’s research, white males are still the crux of the problem. I’ve been married to the same lady for over 40 years, so I’ve heard that before.

It would be nice if Wingfield would provide us a comprehensive list of words that will make us more threatening to white female colleagues, and include the feminine characteristics necessary to make us more secure in our masculinity.

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First, Joe, we know Obama's fix for the national debt...just print more money, AND SPEND IT! Jeff, don't you know, you CAN'T say anything bad about Obama...IT'S RACIST! And Jim, good post, but Jackson and most of the SCC have already circled the wagons around Small-Toney to protect her. As long as they have their jobs, she'll have hers, and we'll be told to shut up the next time she's caught ripping off the citizens.

Excellent letter! It does appear Small-Toney is being protected, but that is no reason to give up on keeping her many expensive and corrupt doings in the public's mind and memory. One day she will become too expensive to her protectors.

From our previous mayor we are well aware that city hiring practices are based on "It's our time" and "Looks like me". But is it too much to ask that government employees follow the law ( closed secret meetings ), respect taxpayers ( hiring cronies at doubled salaries, junkets to raced based organizations, renting SUVs to travel 300 feet ), and be competent ( mishandling bids exposing the city to lawsuits )? Apparently, by our present mayor's actions of circling the wagons to protect the biggest offender RST, it is.

I had similar thoughts when I saw the newly erected sign at the Dog Park in Savannah. I am ok with the sign its self, though we all seemed to know about and find the dog park just fine without the sign, but that is not what I found strange. My question is, why was it necessary to install a cast bronze plaque, about 12X16" with the names of the Mayor, City Council, and it wouldn't have been complete without Rochelle Small-Toney's name now would it. Everyone seems thrilled to put their name on something, until a problem arises, then it's always the other guys fault.

I think it is time to re-learn the value of a dollar, especially when it is a TAX PAYERS dollar.

Time for some simple arithmetic, when Jimmy Carter left office the national debt was just under $1 trillion and now it is $16 trillion. Google national debt and do a little adding and subtracting and see who has added the most to our national debt. Facts are facts!

Bottom line is, Obama campaigned in 08 on a promise to cut the national debt in half by his "first term." Now, 4 years later, instead of cutting in half, we've added another 5 trillion. You're right...facts are facts. Eastwood was right. When someone is hired to do a job, and they're not doing it, you have to let them go.

How can any sane and responsible person re elect Obama after all the promises and lies and tripling of the debt to the point of bankruptcy. Who is going to bail us out when our economy collapses ? And no I'm not excusing George W. Bush for his part in this debt crises.

You just answered your own question. Sanity and self responsibility have become dirty words. The question is, do we have enough people to vote this arrogant incompetent out of office, or has our voter base become the woman who screamed in joy after Obama was elected in 08, "I'm never going to have to put gas in my car! I'm never going to have to pay the mortgage!"?

When Obama was campaigning in 08 on a promise to cut the national debt, he nor anyone else knew the economy was about to tank and how bad it would get. Have you ever heard the saying it take a while to turn an aircraft carrier around. Well take that same carrier and stop the engines and have over 800,000 people jump on board at the same time.

Jobs are coming back, banks are in better shape, stock market is setting records and the auto industry is in better shape. Also remember the rest of the world caught the flu after America sneezed.

If the president is guilty of anything it was believing that he could get the opposition to work with him and not against him. If you can't get the other side to do anything but to try and work for your defeat they not only hurt themselves but their country. It takes more than promises, it takes teamwork and the GOP elected only arrogant incompetent newbies in the 2010 elections. How could otherwise sane and responsible people vote in such people for Congress? They were hired to do a job, and they're not doing it, when that happens you have to let them go. People need to vote for the president and against those that have worked to see to it that he would fail. Their jobs are less important than ours.

The same old comments...his concern is to get re-elected and further his agenda. The crying foul because the Republicans were against him is just another blame game. Obama had his opportunity with both houses of congress but decided to waste his political capital on his liberal agenda. Even still after the 2010 elections he decided to cling to his far left buddies rather than embrace what the country was asking of him.

Sorry, I forgot...IT'S ALL BUSH'S FAULT. FYI, I served on a carrier for years. This president knew all of this while campaigning, and THE NEARLY 4 YEARS HE'S BEEN IN OFFICE. Even with the ridiculous scenario you painted, things should be better by now. Take a look, we're STILL over 8% unemployment, had our international credit rating downgraded for the first time in history, and yes, had 5 TRILLION added to the national debt. As for the stock market, guess you forgot the Dow hit OVER 14,000 under Bush. BTW, EVERY president has to work with opposition in congress. Remember "Senator" Billary Clinton vowing to "stick it to Bush every chance I get"? Yeah, I'm laughing.

I totally agree, as you stated above, it is time for action as nothing is going to be done by this current gang of thieves in city hall. I hope everyone is following up on this and taking action by writing to the provided contacts for the F.B.I., the Federal Attorney and Georgia District Attorney - I certainly have and have provided the information for many friends to do the same. Please people, we cannot allow this situation to continue as the more they get away with, the more they are going to do. Encourage as many people as you can to take action.